Methods for manufacturing a product using a 3-epimerase

1. A method of manufacturing a product comprising the steps of:

(a) producing allulose by contacting a protein having allulose 3-epimerase activity with a fructose substrate under conditions such that the fructose substrate is converted into allulose;

wherein the allulose is at least partially purified; and

wherein the protein having allulose 3-epimerase activity comprises an amino acid sequence having 90% to 99% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 6; and

(b) using the allulose produced in step (a) to manufacture the product.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the product is a food product, a beverage product, a pharmaceutical product, a nutritional product, a sports product, or a cosmetic product.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the food product is a confectionery product, a dessert product, a cereal product, a baked good, a frozen dairy product, a meat product, a dairy product, a condiment, a snack bar, a soup, a dressing, a mix, a prepared food, a baby food, a diet preparation, a syrup, a food coating or frosting, a dried fruit, a sauce, a gravy, or a jam or jelly.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the beverage product is a carbonated beverage, a non-carbonated beverage, a fruit-flavoured beverage, a fruit juice, a tea, milk, or coffee.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the protein having allulose 3-epimerase activity is present in an isolated host cell transformed with a vector comprising a nucleic acid molecule encoding the protein.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the protein having allulose 3-epimerase activity is in isolated form.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the conditions of step (a) comprise maintaining the protein and the fructose substrate at a temperature between 25° C. and 75° C.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the conditions of step (a) comprise maintaining the protein and the fructose substrate between pH 4 and pH 10.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the conditions of step (a) comprise maintaining the fructose substrate concentration between 75% and 95% (w/v).

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the protein having allulose 3-epimerase activity comprises an amino acid sequence having 90% to 95% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 6.

11. A method of manufacturing a product comprising the steps of:

(a) producing allulose by:

(i) providing a vector comprising a nucleic acid molecule having a polynucleotide sequence encoding a protein having allulose 3-epimerase activity;

(ii) synthesizing the protein having allulose 3-epimerase activity from the vector;

(iii) contacting fructose with the protein having allulose 3-epimerase activity and maintaining the fructose and the protein under conditions to permit the conversion of fructose to allulose;

wherein the protein having allulose 3-epimerase activity comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 6; and

(b) using the allulose produced in step (a) to manufacture the product.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the product is a food product, a beverage product, a pharmaceutical product, a nutritional product, a sports product, or a cosmetic product.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the food product is a confectionery product, a dessert product, a cereal product, a baked good, a frozen dairy product, a meat product, a dairy product, a condiment, a snack bar, a soup, a dressing, a mix, a prepared food, a baby food, a diet preparation, a syrup, a food coating or frosting, a dried fruit, a sauce, a gravy, or a jam or jelly.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the beverage product is a carbonated beverage, a non-carbonated beverage, a fruit-flavoured beverage, a fruit juice, a tea, milk, or coffee.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the allulose produced in step (a) is at least partially purified.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the protein having allulose 3-epimerase activity encoded by the polynucleotide sequence is synthesized by transforming competent host cells with the vector and, optionally, culturing the transformed host cells.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the step of synthesizing the protein having allulose 3-epimerase activity comprises synthesizing the protein by in vitro translation and subsequently isolating the protein.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the step of contacting fructose with the protein having allulose 3-epimerase activity comprises mixing the transformed host cells with the fructose.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein the step of contacting fructose with the protein having allulose 3-epimerase activity comprises culturing the transformed host cells to produce the protein having allulose 3-epimerase activity, isolating the protein having allulose 3-epimerase activity from the host cells, and mixing the protein having allulose 3-epimerase activity with the fructose.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the protein having allulose 3-epimerase activity is immobilized on a substrate after isolation of the protein.

21. The method of claim 11 , wherein the protein having allulose 3-epimerase activity comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 95% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 6.

22. The method of claim 11 , wherein the protein having allulose 3-epimerase activity comprises an amino acid sequence having 90% to 99% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 6.

23. The method of claim 11 , wherein the protein having allulose 3-epimerase activity comprises an amino acid sequence having 90% to 95% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 6.